Why did the Nephites have confidence in Mormon as a commander?

And it came to pass that I did go forth among the Nephites, and did repent of the oath which I had made that I would no more assist them; and they gave me command again of their armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions. (Mormon 5:1)

It is interesting that the Nephites thought Mormon could deliver them from their afflictions. It is hard to know whether they thought he could make everything better, or whether they thought military victory was the be-all-end-all of success, or whether they hoped victory could give them breathing room they needed to fix other things.

Another question came to me too here: What evidence is there that the Nephites’ confidence in Mormon’s military leadership was well-placed? There is so much written about Captain Moroni in the Book of Alma, so what record is there of Mormon’s skill as a commander? The Nephites would not have resorted to him if he didn’t have some skills.

As I looked for the answer to this question, I realized that Mormon really downplays his own role as a military leader and any credit in Nephite victories. While he went into great detail as a historian on the clever tactics and practical hows of Captain Moroni and Helaman and Teancum in the past, he is very self-effacing about his own victories. Here and there he might drop a few words about fortifying or gathering or protecting key points or hint at a motivating speech, but otherwise he’s very brief, saying simply, “we beat them” or “we withstood them” or something of that sort, preferring to wrap his efforts in with the army at large.  And usually at the same time that he notes a victory, he also makes mournful spiritual observations about the wickedness of the people.

Considering the pride of the Nephites, Mormon’s style of leadership would have been hard to take. They probably felt he was a bit of a downer. It is extraordinary he was given command by these people in the first place; he wasn’t the type to draw attention by tooting his own horn.

Now here’s an odd thought: Mormon observed the Nephites put him in charge of the armies at the beginning because he was “large in stature” (Mormon 2:1) in his sixteenth year. The way he puts it, we get the sense that the Nephites were incredibly shallow to put that much trust in Mormon’s callow youth just because he was a big guy.  You also get the idea that Mormon wasn’t qualified for the position, but did his best anyway. This angle takes a dim view of both Mormon and the Nephites.

But if we take into account Mormon’s humility, it might be he was downplaying it. Turn it around and we could easily imagine a proud Mormon saying, “The Nephites cleverly chose me to lead their armies when I was only 16 years old—younger than Captain Moroni—because my observations suggested I would be excellent at military strategy and my large stature made me a poster child for men of war.”

It is probable that Mormon downplayed himself deliberately to keep himself humble when he could have let his position go to his head.  In the end, his humility allowed him to see the impending doom of the Nephites coming closer, even while that doom may have seemed sometimes on occasion to be masquerading as triumphant victory.

This suggested me that humility is a skill to practice even in victory or opportunity. Mormon’s life essentially proves to me it is necessary to spiritual survival. It will enable us to see the truth, piercing the comfortable illusions of society. It will also put us out-of-step with those around us, and we have to accept that.

Observations on the poor Zoramites

-->

And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do? (Alma 32:5)

In this verse the poor Zoramites ask Alma how they can worship God, since they have been cast out of the synagogues.

I was reading this verse recently and thinking about the predicament of the poor Zoramites, and suddenly that bit about how they had labored abundantly to build the synagogues stuck out to me.  They may have been poor in gold and silver and material things, but they were labor-rich, since hard work is the foundation of material prosperity.  It was too bad they were in a Zoramite society that revered the possession more than the labor of production that could create things, like synagogues.  The materialist attitude that surrounded them is like prizing the fruit, but cutting down the tree trunk that nourished it.

Also, I have to wonder if the poor Zoramites had been encouraged to work on the synagogues in order to exploit their labor with the secret intent to eventually deny them the use of those synagogues. Would they have worked as hard if they had known they would be cast out? The poor Zoramites clearly had expectations and felt a strong sense of ownership because of the labor they put in. (We would probably call this sweat equity today.)

Anyway, for me this verse about the poor Zoramites’ abundant labor teaches me that hard work itself is riches and success. If you can create and produce, you can prosper.  Of course, we can argue all day about wage rates, but at the fundamental level, if I can make hard work and production an integral part of my character, then I lay the foundation for systemic success and prosperity.  If my intent is to work hard more than gaining riches, then even if riches come (or go), I won’t be owned by them.  Spiritually, the love of work is more success because I can take that into the eternities, whereas I can’t take material things.

Middoni Lamanites converted

8 Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord:

9 The people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Ishmael;

10 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Middoni;

11 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the city of Nephi;

(Alma 23:8-11, emphasis added)

Why do I call attention to the Middoni Lamanites who were converted? Because this was the place where Aaron and his brethren were cast into prison and had to be brought out by the instrumentality of King Lamoni influencing the king of Middoni. It shows that even places that are initially hostile to missionary work will still have people who are ready to hear and receive the gospel. Sometimes places have to be given a second chance.

Now, it implies in the wording that not all the people in Middoni were converted, but “of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Middoni.” There may have been others besides Lamanites, and it was only a subset of Lamanites in particular who were converted.

But still, it is neat to me that there was eventually success in Middoni!

The message of Malachi 3 & 4 for us

It is interesting that Jesus gave the Nephites a recitation of Malachi 3-4 and not the first parts of Malachi as well. It makes me wonder. Did He give the other parts too and Mormon only included the parts he felt were most applicable to us, or did Jesus just give Malachi 3-4?

Regardless of this question, though, it is interesting to study the parts given and see how they apply to us.

The message seems to be about the importance of preparing for the second coming by repenting and purifying one’s self. Two particular issues are raised that need dealing with, which people aren’t aware, and which seem to underline the need for prophets and revelation. 

Problem #1 is the people don’t understand that withholding their tithing’s and offerings constitutes robbing God and brings a curse. The promise is reinterated that blessings are poured out on those who tithe.

Problem #2 is the people think serving God won’t get them anywhere. They think there is no profit in it because the wicked seem to be far more successful.  The problem with this is that it is an implicit rebuke of God Himself, asserting that His ways are less successful than the world’s. However, we are told that the righteous do not have this attitude, but they speak often to one another (to encourage each other to endure) and they fear the Lord (more than the world) and they think upon His name (instead of obsessing about worldly things). 

In the end, those who believe the Lord’s ways are best and who act in line with that belief will be vindicated because the difference will be obvious between the Lord’s ways and the world’s ways.  We are told the proud and wicked whom many thought were so happy and safe from difficulty will be burned up, whereas those who followed the Lord will be saved, healed, nourished, and at peace.

We get reminders about paying tithing from time to time, so the principle of tithing has higher awareness in the church. But how are our attitudes about the source of success and safety in life?

January First Presidency Message: The Best Time to Plant a Tree

I really liked the First Presidency message for this month by President Uchtdorf, so I want to comment on it. (My words in black, his in green.) It seems to me that one of President Uchtdorf’s great strengths as an apostle is his exuberant enthusiasm and hopefulness.    

In ancient Rome, Janus was the god of beginnings. He was often depicted with two faces—one looking back on the past, the other looking forward to the future. Some languages name the month of January after him because the beginning of the year was a time for reflection as well as planning.

Thousands of years later, many cultures throughout the world carry on a tradition of making resolutions for the new year. Of course, making resolutions is easy—keeping them is a different thing altogether.

One man who had made a long list of New Year’s resolutions felt pretty good about his progress. He thought to himself, “So far, I’ve stuck to my diet, I haven’t lost my temper, I’ve kept to my budget, and I haven’t once complained about the neighbor’s dog. But today is January 2 and the alarm just went off and it’s time I got out of bed. It’s going to take a miracle to keep my streak going.”

It’s SO TRUE!!  For some reason when we start a new resolution, it is pretty easy to do it for a day or two.. or three.  But at some point the shiny wears off and then it seems like a long, hard slog.  Or something comes up that gets in the way.  Or we slack off our effort because we think we don’t need to work as hard at it as we have. 

There is something incredibly hopeful about a fresh start. I suppose at one time or another we have all wanted to start again with a clean slate.

I love getting a new computer with a clean hard drive. For a time it works perfectly. But as the days and weeks pass by and more and more programs get installed (some intentional, some not so intentional), eventually the computer begins to stall, and things it used to do quickly and efficiently become sluggish. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Even getting it to start can become a chore as the hard drive becomes cluttered with miscellaneous chaos and electronic debris. There are times when the only recourse is to reformat the computer and start over.

Human beings can likewise become cluttered with fears, doubts, and burdensome guilt. The mistakes we have made (both intentional and unintentional) can weigh upon us until it may seem hard to do what we know we should.

In the case of sin, there is a wonderful reformatting process called repentance that allows us to clear our internal hard drives of the clutter that burdens our hearts. The gospel, through the miraculous and compassionate Atonement of Jesus Christ, shows us the way to cleanse our souls of the stain of sin and once again become new, pure, and as innocent as a child.

But sometimes other things slow us down and hold us back, causing unproductive thoughts and actions that make it hard for us to get started.

I’d say the experience with computers is a very useful metaphor here. (And I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I do.)

Along with repentance, we need grace (enabling power of God) to help us make it through life, but we can’t have it without giving our total effort and commitment to it.  And so often we would give that total effort except we have fallen prey to destructive thought patterns that in some way weaken us.  I love that Elder Uchtdorf teaches many principles (not just here but in other talks too) that help us discover destructive thought patterns and helps us replace them with helpful ones instead. 

I have a lot of troubles with doubts, fears, and perfectionism.  I feel like I’m always fighting it, so I appreciate principles that help me escape those unproductive patterns.

Setting goals is a worthy endeavor. We know that our Heavenly Father has goals because He has told us that His work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Our personal goals can bring out the best in us. However, one of the things that derail our efforts in making and keeping resolutions is procrastination. We sometimes delay starting, waiting for the right moment to begin—the first day of a new year, the beginning of summer, when we’re called as bishop or Relief Society president, after the kids get into school, after we retire.

You don’t need an invitation before you start moving in the direction of your righteous goals. You don’t need to wait for permission to become the person you were designed to be. You don’t need to wait to be invited to serve in the Church.

We can sometimes waste years of our lives waiting to be chosen (see D&C 121:34–36). But that is a false premise. You are already chosen!

I felt like this part really spoke to me.  Procrastination is one of my problems, though I don’t actually say to myself, “I’ll do it later.”  My procrastination has been in the form that Elder Uchtdorf has described above, the kind that wants to wait for the “right moment” and the kind that feels like it needs permission to do or become or start. 

My procrastination has to do with writing.  I am a writer.  So often I delay starting my writing because I’m waiting for the right moment.  But what does the right moment look like and how will I know I’ve come to it?  I keep waiting for a moment when I will feel inspired.  It is particularly insidious when it comes to working on this blog because I want to be inspired as I write about the scriptures.   The weird thing is, I’ve learned by experience that inspiration happens more while I’m working on it and rather than when I’m thinking about working on it.  So I just have to show up and start studying and writing and then it comes.

I’ve also seen some of my procrastination in the form of feeling like I need permission from someone.  One of the things I want to do is write fiction, write fabulous novels.  But I feel like I need permission!  I don’t know who from.  Maybe it’s because I have this deep-down notion that writing fiction is play, not real work.  It makes me think that just like you need mom to call the school to so you can go somewhere else during school, I need someone to call the “work police” and tell them that I have permission to write fiction for work instead of getting hired by someone else.   Maybe I need to write myself out a permission slip.  (I eventually did this.  It felt very freeing.)

I like that President Uchtdorf says our personal goals can bring out the best in us.  (Of course, he makes the implicit assumption that these goals are righteous.)  When you consider the effort that goes into working toward goals, you can see he’s right.  What else besides a goal makes you wrestle with the natural man?  Good goals always involve repentance at some level or stage.  A good goal that speaks to you fires your imagination, giving you vision.  It requires confidence and faith.  It requires you to commit and act courageously.  It requires analysis of skills and leads to learning more skills.  It leads to problem-solving.  It disciplines you and builds your perseverance.  And even when we fail, we practice repentance and re-commitment if we try again.

At times in my life I have spent sleepless nights grappling with issues, worries, or personal sorrows. But no matter how dark the night, I am always encouraged by this thought: in the morning the sun will rise.

With every new day, a new dawn comes—not only for the earth but also for us. And with a new day comes a new start—a chance to begin again.

This view of the new day as the chance to begin trying again is a big thing that gives me hope.  I’ve lived a few months when I was depressed and felt that I had no hope of anything better.  When I’ve struggled with a bad habit for so long and failed so many times, it is easy to think that there is no hope of change and that the future will get worse and worse and I should just give up and drift as the current takes me.  I’ve learned to fight this by seeing each new day as a gift of a small time that I can concentrate my efforts in.  We learn from living the commandment of keeping the Sabbath Holy that it is possible to make one day different from every other day of the week, more focused on serving God.  So we can use that same principle during the week.  Each new day we can try again to break bad habits.  Also, taking it one day at a time helps me focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the future. 

Sometimes the thing that holds us back is fear. We might be afraid that we won’t succeed, that we will succeed, that we might be embarrassed, that success might change us, or that it might change the people we love.

I’ve feared all those things at one time or another.  When fears are paralyzing, I’ve found I have to write down what I’m afraid of and try to get to the root of what is bothering me.  (I have an example of how I do this in my post about confronting myfears of introducing my neighbors to the missionaries.

It’s usually not just one fear, it is a network of fear, or a pyramid of fear, fears stacked on top of each other.  You have to pin down the fear, drag it squealing out into the day, and then talk back to it before you can kill it.

Another thing we need to remember when it comes to setting goals is this: We almost certainly will fail—at least in the short term. But rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding removes the pressure of being perfect right now. It acknowledges from the beginning that at one time or another, we may fall short. Knowing this up front takes away much of the surprise and discouragement of failure.

When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn’t have to limit us. Remember, even if we fail to reach our ultimate, desired destination right away, we will have made progress along the road that will lead to it.

And that matters—it means a lot.

Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.

Falling short and failure is a not an end destination.  It is merely a stage in our progression. 

When I apply this to myself about my writing process, I can understand perfectly well that my first draft is not going to be a masterpiece.  It’s going to be crud.  But I can learn from it and revise.  My first novel likewise is going to fall short as well, but I’ll learn from it and revise it and my next novel will be better (although the first draft can be crud all over again.)  I can allow myself to write badly at first so I can learn from it.  (I suppose I’ll have to write myself a permission slip for that too.  ;-))

An old proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment.

Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be—not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity.

Sometimes it takes years for us to figure out that we really want what’s good for us.  And then we wish we’d started way earlier.  I’ve heard some converts wishing they’d found the gospel earlier in life.  I imagine we all have something like that. 

At least the present moment remains for making a beginning, right?

So what experiences have you had in which you learned more from the process than you did from the outcome?

Alma 57: When the Lord brings greater success out of failure

28 And now it came to pass that after we had thus taken care of our wounded men, and had buried our dead and also the dead of the Lamanites, who were many, behold, we did inquire of Gid concerning the prisoners whom they had started to go down to the land of Zarahemla with.

 29 Now Gid was the chief captain over the band who was appointed to guard them down to the land.

 30 And now, these are the words which Gid said unto me: Behold, we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla with our prisoners. And it came to pass that we did meet the spies of our armies, who had been sent out to watch the camp of the Lamanites.

 31 And they cried unto us, saying—Behold, the armies of the Lamanites are marching towards the city of Cumeni; and behold, they will fall upon them, yea, and will destroy our people.

 32 And it came to pass that our prisoners did hear their cries, which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in rebellion against us.

 33 And it came to pass because of their rebellion we did cause that our swords should come upon them. And it came to pass that they did in a body run upon our swords, in the which, the greater number of them were slain; and the remainder of them broke through and fled from us.

 34 And behold, when they had fled and we could not overtake them, we took our march with speed towards the city Cumeni; and behold, we did arrive in time that we might assist our brethren in preserving the city.

 35 And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands of our enemies. And blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.  (Alma 57:28-35)

In this block of verses, Gid explains what happened to the Lamanite prisoners that allowed him and his army to come to the aid of Helaman at Cumeni—Nephite spies with bad news of the approaching Lamanite army shot their mouths off where the Lamanite prisoners could hear, which led to the prisoners revolting, which led to the army killing those rebelling, which led to the Lamanites trying to escape in a mass, which led to a general slaughter with a minority of prisoners escaping, which led to Gid and his army returning just in time to save Cumeni.

Both Gid and Helaman attribute their victory to the miraculous power of God.  Helaman and his men were able to hang on just long enough, which was a miracle, considering the stripling warriors were so wounded and the rest of the army seemed about to give way at any moment.  Gid’s timely arrival at Cumeni was a miracle considering he had already been assigned to guard the Lamanite prisoners to Zerahemla and was in the process of doing that duty.  It was almost as if God took all the prisoners away from him so he could go back to Cumeni.

Of course, the miracle of Gid’s arrival is easy to understand from a broad view, but I wondered if it might be possible to see the hand of the Lord working in the smaller events that contributed to his arrival. 

First, it started to seem odd to me that the Nephite spies had said anything to Gid’s army at all.  Gid’s army was occupied with transporting prisoners to Zerahemla; surely the spies could see that.  What did the spies expect Gid to do?  Leave all the prisoners and go back to Cumeni?  (“Here, Mr. Lamanite, you stay right here until I get back.  Don’t go ‘way now, y’hear?”) 

Another thing that seems unusual is that the spies felt so urgently about their news that they spouted it off without caring who was in earshot, Lamanite or Nephite.  Any armchair strategist can tell you that you shouldn’t let your POWs get any hint of news that the war is going badly for you.  Naturally, when the Lamanites heard, they took courage and revolted.

At this point, I have to say that there is something strangely humorous to me about Gid’s story of how the Lamanites in a body ran upon Nephite swords.  Not that I find death amusing, but it just reminds me of a form that sibling fights sometimes take.  You know, something like, "I'm going to stick my fist out, and if you run into it, it's your fault!"  Only in Gid's case it might have been, “I’m going to stick my sword out, and if you run into it, it is your faaault!”

But this brings me to another odd thing--the Lamanites didn’t revolt to take over; they revolted to escape.  Previous in the chapter it says the Lamanite prisoners would “would break out in great numbers, and would fight with stones, and with clubs, or whatsoever thing they could get into their hands” (v14), but you don’t see any of that here.  Instead, they just want to get away.  And there’s something odd about that too; you’d think that when the Lamanite prisoners heard a Lamanite army was about to attack and destroy Cumeni they would want to join their people in that attack.  But no, they run off in a different direction.  They seem to have had courage enough to escape, but not courage enough to rejoin the Lamanite fight for Cumeni. 

Now let’s look at it from Gid’s perspective.  Here he is, trying to do his duty, taking an admittedly huge number of Lamanite POWs to headquarters and suddenly, for reasons completely outside his control, the situation starts to dissolve into chaos.  Bad news, spreading rumors, prisoner revolt, massacre, escape of the remainder of the prisoners!  Epic FAIL!  No matter what he did to try to clamp down on it, it just got worse.  How is this going to look when he gives his report?  Oy vey! 

But what does he do when all the prisoners are gone?  Does he indulge in a pity party or sulk?  Does he resign his command?  Does he hide?  No, he books it with his army back to Cumeni to help Helaman and succeeds in checking the attacking Lamanite army that would have overpowered the Nephite forces.  You have to give him credit for his firmness of mind and resolve to act.  And in the end, he was able to look back on the ugly prisoner incident and see how it fit into the grand design of deliverance and victory.

           

So what does this mean for us today?

There’s a very comforting message about failure in this story.  Elsewhere in the Book of Mormon you see that failure and loss arises out of wickedness.  The Nephites lose their lands to invading Lamanites and we are told that it was their wickedness that brought that about.  However, in this story, it seems like Gid did the best he could, and he still failed.  This shows that we may fail in the course of our duty when we’re trying to do the right thing.  (It’s a very painful experience to have and I don’t know anyone who likes failure.)  But because Gid went right to back to work, anxiously engaging himself in trying to help his people, ultimately he was blessed with success, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.  In the same way, if we refuse to let ourselves be discouraged by failure and anxiously engage ourselves in good causes, someday we’ll be able to look back and see how the Lord used our failures to make our greater victories possible.

In what ways have failures led to greater victories for you?

When the task should have been easy but wasn’t

45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:45-52)

This block of verses describes when Jesus sent the disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He sent the multitude away.  The disciples get caught in a headwind and Christ walks on the water to them and the wind ceased.

This incident seemed like an odd one at first glance.  It seemed like Jesus decided to walk on the water as an extra convenience or to show the apostles what He could do.  But I thought, “No, when Jesus does a miracle, He does it for a useful purpose.”  So I tried to see what purpose it could have served.

Right away I noticed that the apostles were doing what Jesus had specifically asked them to do—take a ship to the other side.  Some of them were experienced boatmen, so this should have been an easy command to obey, right?  But it so happened that circumstances were against them—there was a contrary wind and they had to struggle against that for quite a while.  I think Jesus watched their progress and their difficulty and had compassion on them and walked out there to help them out.

I think it also was meant to teach them that even if they were inadequate in certain circumstances for a task He had set them, He would be with them and help them succeed in a miraculous way.  They could have gathered his from the earlier miracle of the loaves and fishes, but they didn’t think about that.  (I wonder how many times we marvel at a miracle when we’ve had previous miracles that should have taught us the same lesson?)

After noticing this, I really love this story because I see it in my own life.  There are things I consider myself fairly expert at, yet sometimes when I’m in the middle of trying to do them, I find circumstances against me and I struggle much more than usual.  This story shows me that there is no need to think less of myself for that.  Rather, I can look to the Lord who watches all my efforts, and I can still pray and get divine help.  He will have compassion and help me without upbraiding me. 

 

King Benjamin’s Battles

12 And now, concerning this king Benjamin—he had somewhat of contentions among his own people.
13 And it came to pass also that the armies of the Lamanites came down out of the land of Nephi, to battle against his people. But behold, king Benjamin gathered together his armies, and he did stand against them; and he did fight with the strength of his own arm, with the sword of Laban.
14 And in the strength of the Lord they did contend against their enemies, until they had slain many thousands of the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did contend against the Lamanites until they had driven them out of all the lands of their inheritance.
15 And it came to pass that after there had been false Christs, and their mouths had been shut, and they punished according to their crimes;
16 And after there had been false prophets, and false preachers and teachers among the people, and all these having been punished according to their crimes; and after there having been much contention and many dissensions away unto the Lamanites, behold, it came to pass that king Benjamin, with the assistance of the holy prophets who were among his people—
17 For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people—(Words of Mormon 1:12-17)

I noticed for the first time the two different types of battles King Benjamin fought are described. King Benjamin gathered his armies and fought the Lamanites with the sword of Laban until they were driven out of the land. Then he gathered his armies of holy men and prophets and fought against false Christs, false prophets, and false teachers until their mouths had been shut and they had been punished according to their crimes. They fought using the word of God—“they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness” (v17), meaning they used the sword of the Spirit. He fought physical battles and spiritual battles.

What was the result? “[B]y laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land.” (v18) He established both physical and spiritual peace because he fought physical and spiritual battles with both his body and his soul.

What kind of battles am I fighting today? Lots of spiritual battles. If King Benjamin got help from many holy men in his spiritual battles, then we can also get help from the many holy men who have gone before us, as written in the scriptures, and we can get help from words of the living prophets and from each other to fight our spiritual battles. We can use the word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword and can pierce through both joints and marrow.

Another reason this block of verses is important is it shows us that the wonderful experiences that King Benjamin had and his people had during his final speech on his tower did not come effortlessly; rather, it was the culmination of a long life of very hard work teaching the people and working with them. Without these verses, it would seem to us that King Benjamin’s experiences were effortless in comparison to Alma the Younger’s hard work teaching the Nephites, and we’d wonder what King Benjamin’s secret was. This shows us King Benjamin had no special secret; he may have worked just as hard or even harder than Alma the Younger and we just don’t get to see the full scope of it all.

How does this apply to us? This helps us realize that when we’re about to get jealous of other families in the church who, seemingly without effort, have such obedient and knowledgeable children who are strong in the gospel, we’re not seeing all the effort they put in to teach their families. We’re only seeing the fruits without seeing the digging, hoeing, planting, pruning, and so on.

14 things I loved about general women's conference 2011

1) I loved that Sister Beck’s talk was an overview of so much that is in the new Relief Society book “Daughters of My Kingdom.” Having already begun reading it, her words reminded me of what I had read and I felt she brought some perspective to the whole. It was like a grand sweeping vision of Relief Society’s role over the ages.

2) I loved Sister Beck’s words about how visiting teaching is an expression of discipleship and should resemble the ministry of Christ. I love how she speaks of it as “watch-care.” I’ve seen in my life recently how a short visit or a phone call can really be a lift. Giving and receiving watch-care will help us feel more secure and connected as times get harder.

3) I loved Sister Allred’s words about how part of charity is being willing to help without being asked, without receiving reward, without recognition, and without reciprocation. If we’re able to do that, we are really free to show charity to anyone. Serving for the sake of receiving reward, recognition, or reciprocation can cause hurt if it doesn’t come.

4) No matter how many times I hear it, I never get tired of that quote that if we live up to our privileges the angels can not be restrained from being our associates. Do you ever find yourself asking for angels to go with you when you need a little extra comfort or courage? I have. Then I like to imagine a crowd of them coming down and walking with me. At times when I am alone in a peaceful environment, I like to imagine angels hanging about here and there just because they want to be with me. (I don’t mean that to sound arrogant; I just want to be someone angels would like to hang out with and follow around.)

5) I loved how much emphasis there was on rejoicing. The songs had lots of “rejoice” in them. Did you notice? I think I really needed it. In fact, I think I'm going to have to do a topical study on rejoicing and cheer.

6) I loved Barbara Thompson’s words about how if we keep our covenants and seek the Lord in prayer, then Satan will have no power over us. When it feels like Satan’s power is increasing, it is wonderful to know that keeping covenants and praying will protect us. I’ve been seeking to overcome discouragement while looking for a job and to endure well a period of being alone while my husband is out of town for his work.

7) I loved the scripture that Sister Thompson quoted. “Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.” (D&C 110:9) It made me think of a different way of perceiving the temple ordinances. I hadn’t thought of examining them to find reasons to rejoice. I mean, there’s the obvious meaning behind them that we are used to appreciating, but I had never thought to look at each little part to find reasons to rejoice.

8) I love-love-loved President Uchtdorf’s talk. Each petal of the “forget-me-not” that he described was exactly what I needed.

9) I loved that President Uchtdorf said we need to be patient with ourselves as well as with others. What? Someone is refusing to give themselves time to improve or make progress and gets angry at themselves a lot? You mean me? Okay, I confess. Guilty as charged. Just like other people have limits, so do we. Why do we feel guilty about our limits? Because we think they shouldn't exist. Yes, we're children of God, but we're not gods yet. It takes time to stretch and grow. Progress doesn't happen all at once.

10) I loved that President Uchtdorf told us to celebrate the small successes. That means we can celebrate more often; I don’t know about you, but my small successes are a lot more numerous than my big successes. And thank heaven God notices even the small ones! I think too that we have to find ways of rewarding ourselves in little ways, especially if we feel like we’re not getting external reinforcement.

11) I loved that President Uchtdorf said we shouldn't forget the difference between good sacrifices and foolish sacrifices. This is a constant evaluation process that never seems to go away..

12) I loved that President Uchtdorf told us we shouldn't forget to be happy now and we shouldn't put happiness on hold while waiting for a future “golden ticket” to appear. Oh man, did I need this. It gets really tricky when happiness now seems to preclude chance of the golden ticket. How messed up is that?

13) I loved that President Uchtdorf advised us to cultivate daily gratitude and wonder. This was a great reminder to me of how many things I can enjoy if I remember to. I need to get back in the habit of appreciating the little miracles, the little tender mercies, the little pleasures, the little “common” blessings that make life beautiful. Time for me to review President Monson’s talk “The Divine Gift of Gratitude.”

14) I loved that President Uchtdorf said we shouldn't forget the “why” of the gospel in the midst of the “what” and the “how.” I love that he says that the “why” transforms the “what” and “how” into something majestic. I’ve noticed too that there are shallow “whys” and deeper “whys.” I think the deeper you can get your “whys,” the stronger you’ll become in trials and afflictions.

All in all, great messages. I can’t wait until the Ensign’s conference issue comes out!

Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you

In Luke 10, Jesus sends the seventy out to preach. When they come back, they are excited.

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:17-20)

When we’re reading the scriptures, it is hard to see how these verses are connected, but it seemed to me that they were. I started to see that Jesus wanted to warn the seventy not to rejoice that others were subject to them because He knew that was what brought Satan’s downfall in the world of spirits. (There are a lot of unstated bits of background assumed knowledge that are left out of these verses, but with the knowledge we have of the restored gospel, the plan of salvation, and the premortal life, we are able to fill in the holes.)

Yes, the seventy would have power to tread serpents and scorpions (which could also symbolize those who would tempt them and those who would try to sting them with bitter poisonous words), but if they rejoiced in that, it would puff them up with pride and they would someday fall like Satan, as lightning from heaven—obvious, noisy, and destructive. Instead, Jesus instructed them to rejoice that their names were written in heaven among those who would receive eternal life. This shows it is better to rejoice in our salvation than to rejoice in power we have over others.

This should help me a lot as I teach seminary over the next few days. Rather than rejoicing in any power I have over students, I should rejoice in my salvation.

Then, Jesus prays.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. (Luke 10:21)

I used to think that Jesus was talking about children, but today I realized that by “babes,” He meant the seventy. It’s kind of startling, but He had several reasons for this. 1) In the eternal perspective, they were still pretty ignorant and new in the gospel. (This can teach us that even the most experienced and valiant of Saints is still only a babe in true wisdom because there is still so much to learn.) Jesus said this to humble them and remind them of that eternal perspective. 2) He wanted to show them that if they were as meek as a babe, all was as it should be.

I loved learning this. If Jesus called the seventy “babes,” then I suppose I am a zygote still in the womb.